Thanks for the comment!

I think your reference to the “old saying” is appropriate as is the coaching opportunities that are built into a cascading set of leader standard work. In addition to those points, the SDCA – standardize, do, check, nature, not only relates to the adherence to standard work, but also to the sufficiency of the standard work. This should further drive and encourage improvement.

Best regards,
Mark

I am new to the Leader Standard Work concept, but can see where in my organization it would be a blessing. This would put some teeth behind the old saying “Workers do what there boss inspects, not expects”. This concept can also serve as a means to bring Senior leadership in when reviewing the completedstandark work and provide feedback to the managers so they can continuously improve themselves.

That’s a great way to look at it – “live in your calendar, not in your inbox.” That should resonate with a lot of leaders. The rigor of leader standard work forces meaningful and timely engagement at the gemba. It also “informs” the daily accountability process where much of the daily kaizen opportunities can be identified, discussed, assigned and followed-up on.

My thanks to you for your comment and John Hunter as well!

Best regards,
Mark

This is my first time on your blog. (Thanks, John Hunter!) I love this post, because it ties in so well with something that I preach all the time: the need to “live in your calendar, not in your inbox.” Working from the calendar drives a leader towards standard work, while working from the inbox drives a leader to fire-fighting. After all, if all you do is work off the most recent email, by definition you’re dealing with yesterday’s problems. You’re not looking ahead, trying to improve the system to *avoid* the problems.

Excellent question and excellent points. I think the case for leader standard work is “simply” sustainability of improvements and establishing a culture of accountability of continuous improvement. Systems that are so dependent upon human action and support naturally degrade (humans are fallable creatures). Leaders therefore need to add standardize-do-check-act (SDCA) to their daily activities (think of Imaii’s “maintenance” within his famous kaizen schematic) in order to ensure that processes and systems work, that new standard work is followed, etc. It’s NOT like the infomercial, “Just set it and forget it.”

So, the gain is in the process adherence and performance that SDCA facilitates. It’s not real sexy, which may be a reason why leadership may not really seem to engage in it…unless of course, their own leader demands it.

Best regards,
Mark

I love the line “We want to be problem solvers, not problem hiders.”

I have been wondering how do you begin to make a case for leadership standard work? What would the problem statement be or what is the measurable outcome expected?

I know there is a TON of literature supporting leadership standard work but it seems like we are asking for a leap of faith for them. I know it is a best practice but have never heard WHY it is.

I am of the mind that change management is easier with front line staff than it is with leadership!

Thanks for the comment. Yes, you’re absolutely right. Those who are new to leader standard work are usually very skeptical. They see it as additional work and don’t really grasp (or believe) that it is a way to ensure that the “systems” that have been put in place actually are being followed and are performing. In the end, leader standard work reduces much of the firefighting, helps sustain improvements and helps create a lean culture.

Best regards,
Mark

Outstanding post. I’ve become a huge proponent of leader standard work and seen tremendous benefits from it. What I’ve found is that to really get over the hump you have to convince leaders that this is not actually extra work but rather a different and better way to accomplish the same goals they’re already working on. It takes time for some leaders to realize that the rigors and discipline of leader standard work actually prevent the firefighting that always seems to get in the way of performing the standard work. A couple big wins can really help to break the cycle.